


Hung up on

by kinoface



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Community: ninoexchange, M/M, Open Relationships, Reunions, Threesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2018-02-07 22:20:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1916013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinoface/pseuds/kinoface
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nino runs into someone he never thought he'd see again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hung up on

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alphiedamiek](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphiedamiek/gifts).



> Written for Nino Exchange 2014 and originally posted [here](http://ninoexchange.livejournal.com/44087.html).
> 
> This fic is bananas. It was a pinch hit so I was like, "Okay, I'll whip up a few thousand words of something fun," AND THEN THIS HAPPENED??? It just grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go -- at one point I told Phrenk, "Watch, it's gonna end up being like 12k," which ofc it did -- and if I'd had more time, I probably could have thrown another 5k in there about what happens after the current ending. Alas!
> 
> Phrenk was an incredible cheerleader and, as always, an excellent beta, so THANK YOU PHRENK FOR HELPING ME MAKE THIS EXIST.
> 
> Songs I listened to on repeat while writing this:  
> > the Arafes 2013 version of "Still..."  
> > "BE MY BABY" by Koda Kumi  
> > "Lovey-Dovey" by T-ara  
> > "4th of July (Fireworks)" by Kelis (recommended listening for the first ~love scene~) *  
> > "Right by Your Side" by The Eurythmics  
> > "Love" by f(x)  
> > "Now (There Is No Tomorrow)" by Trouble Maker  
> > "I Love You" by 2NE1 (recommended listening for the second ~love scene~)  
> > every Jun, Nino, or Ohno solo
> 
> * This is my Matsumiya song forever and I almost named this fic after it.

**like venus at dawn**

Ohno Satoshi is smiling as brightly as usual on the poster across the aisle from Nino, advertising some new candy or some new drama. Nino's eyes scan the words without comprehending them. It doesn't really matter what Ohno-san is selling if Nino doesn't have the money to buy it.

The schoolgirls taking turns photographing each other in front of the poster notice Nino's gaze locked in their direction, and they send him their best, most frightening scowls before he nods up at the poster. They seem to understand that. Who, after all, can resist Ohno-san's charm?

He stares at that perfect hair and that perfect smile until the train reaches his station, and then he hauls up his bag and exits sluggishly along with the rest of the crowd, not in any particular excitement to get home. There's nothing for him to do there, nothing to distract him from the fact that he doesn't have the funds to spend his time anywhere else. If he's lucky, maybe he can nap on Aiba's bed until it's time to get up and look for more job postings.

The last year has not been kind to Ninomiya Kazunari. It's not as if life was particularly swell before that, but at least he was happy with what he had: a hole-in-the-wall apartment with several roommates he never spoke to, an overnight job at a mostly inconspicuous manga cafe, a boyfriend from the same place... Dating his boss, it turned out, was not the best decision he'd ever made, but he wouldn't figure that out until a year later when the messiest break-up of his life led to losing his job quickly followed by his apartment. The one silver lining in this clusterfuck thunderstorm his life has become is that Aiba, who used to sleep in the manga cafe whenever he'd missed the last train home, is a nice enough human being that he's letting Nino stay with him until he can get back on his feet. Of course, this is Tokyo, and Aiba is a vet tech; there's no way he could afford an apartment on his own. It took a good deal of pleading to get the four women Aiba lives with to let another man into their sanctuary, but they did eventually give in. What finally cinched the deal, Nino is sure, was Aiba's insistence that Nino is not only super nice and super respectful but also super gay.

It means a lot to Nino that Aiba, whom Nino has known for barely more than six months, would stick his neck out like that for him. It gives him a little hope that something nice might be waiting for him after all.

In the meantime, everything else is shit.

♪

Aiba is still at work when Nino gets to the apartment, but he doesn't think Aiba will mind that much if he crashes in his bed for a few hours. Aiba's usually pretty understanding about that sort of thing, considering Nino's own "bed" is a tattered sleeping bag that he rolls out next to Aiba's closet each night.

His nap is interrupted occasionally by the sounds of the girls moving around the apartment, and what sleep he does get is filled with absurdly vivid dreams of the same scenario in different settings, over and over again: wading through visitors at an amusement park; fighting through throngs of tourists on the street; stumbling through the evening crowd on the train platform. He doesn't know what he's looking for, certain that he'll recognize it when he sees it, but no matter how hard he pushes, he can never seem to break through the crowd.

When he finally gives up and drags himself out of Aiba's bed so he can wash his face, he finds the bathroom door locked, the sound of the shower running on the other side of the door. He's still deciding whether to sit on the floor and wait or zombie-shuffle back into bed when Gakky, one of the roommates, pokes her head out from her shared bedroom.

"Nino-kun! Are you busy tonight?"

He's too groggy to deal with standing around _and_ Gakky's cheerful voice. He slides down the wall to plant himself in front of the bathroom and looks up at her, squinting sleepily. "Not really, I guess. I was just gonna look for more jobs --"

Before he can finish, Ai-chan bursts out from behind Gakky, smiling even more widely. "That's boring! You should definitely come out with us instead." Nino is glad he's already sitting down. "We're all going out to Sparkle."

She says the word like he should automatically know what it means. Their voices have drawn the attention of Karina and Shihori, who lean out from their own doorway just in time to hear Nino say that he has no idea who, where, or what Sparkle is; they offer appropriately horrified noises of surprise at his lack of knowledge.

"It's an amazing club," Karina says.

Gakky adds, "Ai-chan used to bartend there!"

This place must be impressive because Ai-chan is smiling like it's a point of pride. "Mmhmm. And I still know most of the people who work there so I can get us in no problem, plus there are rumors that someone exciting is going to make a secret appearance tonight. We _have to go._ "

"But --"

"C'mon, Nino." Karina flashes him a very persuasive smile. "It'll be really fun."

"I don't have any _money._ "

Shihori waves that off like it's nothing. "We'll each buy you a drink. You're pretty small, you won't need more than five, right?"

"I don't --"

In all the commotion he didn't notice the shower turning off, but suddenly the bathroom door slams open and Aiba emerges with a towel wrapped around his waist and wet hair plastered ridiculously across his forehead. "Nino, are you coming tonight!?"

Nino can't help it: he gives a wordless shout before climbing to his feet and holding his arms out, glaring at each roommate in turn. "EVERYONE HOLD ON. I'M EXHAUSTED, I HAD A REALLY DISAPPOINTING DAY, AND I NEED TO THINK."

After that, the apartment is completely silent as Aiba, Ai-chan, Gakky, Karina, and Shihori all stare at him, wide-eyed and expectant. Under five pairs of unblinking eyes, Nino finds himself feeling incredibly small, but also, oddly, very loved.

"Okay," he says. "But one of you has to buy me food afterwards."

The girls cheer in unison as Aiba leaps forward to hug Nino, holding him tight and dripping water all over him.

♪

The six of them squeeze into Karina's car with some creative maneuvering and head to the club, where, it turns out, Ai-chan really does know the bouncer, a beanpole of a man whom she refers to as Matsu-nii as she flirts with him. He returns it in kind and lets them in with a dazzling smile.

The club is expansive, with a wide dance floor, a long stretch of bar near the entrance, and tables and booths along the walls, as well as a roped-off upper level that leads to a currently empty DJ booth. They snag a roomy table and get settled before Aiba and Shihori take everyone's drink orders and head to the bar.

"So what kind of secret appearance is this supposed to be?" Gakky asks.

Ai-chan had been looking around the club as if scouting for people she knows -- or potential dates -- but she turns back around to give them her full attention. "I'm not sure exactly. They just said it was going to be something exciting!"

They have to yell to be heard over the indistinguishable voices and the thumping music, and Nino is reminded of why he doesn't spend much time in clubs. But Aiba and Shihori show up with everyone's drinks soon after that, so he can't complain.

"This one's on me," Aiba says, sliding over Nino's drink. It's not in a fancy, curvy glass with fruit or an umbrella, like Karina's and Ai-chan's, but it is bright yellow and just shy of cloyingly sweet. No, Nino definitely won't be complaining.

Ai-chan doesn't know when this mystery event is supposed to take place, so they pass the time with talking -- as much as they can with the noise -- and drinking and nodding their heads to the music, and occasionally one or two will take to the dance floor and return later with complaints or accolades for whatever dance partner they happened to find. They take turns buying drinks; Shihori gets Nino something that comes with a pineapple ring on the rim, and Ai-chan gets him something called a Stoplight, three colorful shots all in a row. By the time Karina's turn rolls around, he's pleasantly buzzed enough to agree with her insistence that he earn his drink by dancing with her.

They're already laughing as she drags him onto the dance floor, and Nino finds himself thinking hazily about how good it feels to let go like this, to be able to forget for an evening how crappy some things in his life are. Right now all that matters is that he's surrounded by people he barely knows but who are willing to kick up a fuss just so he'll hang out with them, just so they can buy him drinks and get him to dance. It's a reminder that not everything is terrible, not everyone is looking to screw him over. He needed that more than he realized.

In the middle of the song he and Karina are dancing to, the flashing lights start to dim along with the volume of the music. The shift is gradual, sudden enough to catch people's attention but slow enough not to cause alarm. The conversation quiets down as confused murmurs start up -- and then the lights return, purple and glittery like someone lowered in a mirrorball. An electronic beat drums out over the speakers, slow and creeping, with bass deep enough that Nino feels it in his bones.

"I wonder if this is it," Karina says, barely loud enough for Nino to hear. People all around are asking the same question.

A booming voice suddenly cuts through the murmurs of the crowd: someone is standing on the bartop, wearing an official-looking name badge and wielding a megaphone. "Ladies and gentleman, you're in for a treat. Guess who's decided to drop in and pay us a surprise visit?" The pause is drawn out long enough for people to start shouting things like _Who is it!_ and _C'mon, tell us!_ , and then: "The one and only -- DJ MJ!"

The crowd goes apeshit. The name means nothing to Nino, but Karina is ecstatic, raising her arms and cheering along with everyone else. Something about the combination of hype and glitz piques Nino's interest, makes him follow the rolling spotlights to their destination, the now-illuminated DJ booth on the second story.

The booth isn't very close, the flashing lights make it difficult to see, and Nino's already drunk -- but when he sees who's standing there, his heart lurches in his chest. He'd recognize that face anywhere.

♪

The bathroom, thankfully, is empty. Nino splashes cold water on his face and tries to catch his breath. He can feel the rumbling beat of the music even from here.

It was a mistake, he tells himself. He leans over the sink and stares hard at the mirror, willing himself to believe that it was just a booze-induced hallucination, but his reflection looks skeptical at best. The initials match up; the choice of profession makes sense. The longer he tries to convince himself, the more he thinks a coincidence would be the more outrageous option.

There's a hesitant knock on the door, and then Aiba is slowly peeking inside. "Nino? You okay?"

Nino is too exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally, to even attempt a lie. "I think I know -- _used_ to know that DJ."

Aiba enters the bathroom fully, closing the door behind him. He looks equal parts confused and concerned. "Is that bad?"

"Not sure," Nino says. "Definitely surprising. I wasn't really expecting to ever see him again."

Aiba grabs a paper towel from the dispenser on the wall and offers it to Nino. "Wanna talk about it?"

Nino takes the towel, grateful, and pats his face dry while he thinks about how to answer. "Not really," he finally says, confident in the knowledge that Aiba will respect that decision.

Together they head back to their table, abandoned now but for a collection of empty glasses. It's difficult to talk, difficult not to keep looking back at that booth, but Aiba does his best to start up a conversation about his day at work, about his parents' restaurant, about the wild stories Ai-chan used to come home with when she still worked here, about anything at all except the one thing Nino doesn't want to talk about. For that, Nino is grateful. But as Aiba keeps going, Nino starts to think that maybe he does want to talk about it after all -- just not with Aiba. Maybe he does have questions, and after all this time, maybe he does deserve some answers.

The DJ's set goes on for a while, half an hour at least, bits of songs looping and morphing into other songs, the rhythms masterfully woven together on top of that never-ending bass. When it finally starts to wind down, the girls trickle back to the table one by one, breathless and sweaty from so much dancing, all except Ai-chan who looks strangely impeccable and has a cute boy on her arm. She announces that she won't be coming home that night, and as she turns to leave, she teasingly asks Nino, "Aren't you glad you came out with us?"

"Absolutely," he says, entirely truthful.

The girls all catch their breath and tease Nino about not joining them in dancing, but he's barely even listening at that point. Instead he's watching the figure up in that booth. The set has finally ended to roaring applause, and now, Nino can see, the DJ is packing up his equipment as the normal playlist of dance songs starts up again over the speakers. It takes a while, but everyone else is too absorbed in conversation to notice him staring, and it finally pays off when the DJ leaves the booth.

"We should do this again, all of us," Shihori is saying.

"Maybe next weekend," Gakky suggests, everyone nodding in agreement. "What about you, Nino? Hey, Nino?"

The DJ is making his way down the stairs that lead to the main floor, and Nino is out of his seat before he even has to think about it.

A decent number of people have cleared the floor since the set has ended, but it's still packed, and he has to fight his way through a seemingly endless ocean of dancing, oblivious partygoers. It feels like a slow-motion anxiety dream, like wading through molasses -- like stumbling through the evening crowd on the train platform. Near the roped-off entrance to the upper level, some people have noticed that their beloved DJ is making his way towards them, and they're all pushing together and crowding around the bouncer. Nino can hear the chorus of "DJ MJ!" and "MJ-san!" even over the music and the drumming of his own heartbeat.

He has to claw tooth and nail, but he finally makes it to the front of the crowd, right as the bouncer lifts the chain barrier separating the staircase from the main floor. In the near-deafening buzz of "MJ"s, all it takes is one word from him to catch the attention of the man he's looking for.

" _Jun._ "

A single, breathless moment passes as the man's eyes scan the crowd. As soon as he spots Nino, he stops cold. The people closest to him notice and go quiet, while the others keep shouting and pushing forward. Even amidst all that excitement and noise, Nino knows exactly what it is the man says when he opens his mouth.

"Kazu?"

♪

Jun leads him back up the stairs and to a cozy corner section, far enough away from the balcony that it's relatively quiet. There's a huge couch in the shape of a semicircle, with an elegant glass table in the middle, and pretty waitresses are roaming the floor to take orders and chat with customers. Jun takes a seat, right in the middle of the couch, and motions for Nino to join him.

"What are you doing here?" he asks once they're both settled. "Clubbing was never really your thing." He looks a lot happier than Nino feels, but then again, Nino's not entirely sure what he's feeling right now.

"Got dragged here by some friends -- what are _you_ doing here? I thought we broke up so you could travel the world."

Jun really has grown up, Nino thinks; that twenty-year-old kid he used to know would have gone all red-faced and snappish at a comment like that. This Jun just smiles and blows right past it. "I did do a lot of traveling," he says, looking away only to catch the attention of a waitress. "But I couldn't stay away forever."

The waitress brings over a glass of something pink and bubbly -- Nino wonders if that's some standard complimentary thing or if Jun comes here often enough to have a usual drink of choice -- and asks what Nino would like, but he declines. He's sobering up and wants to stay that way.

When she's gone, he asks, "How long have you been back?"

Jun takes a long, careful sip of his drink. He lowers his glass, and thinks, and finally says, "A few years. Look, Kazu, I'm sorry I didn't --"

Nino holds up a hand to silence him. "Don't. Please. I'm not upset, I just can't hear it right now, okay? Let's pretend all this weird history doesn't exist and just have a good night." He glances away, suddenly unable to look at Jun, and then back again, unable to make himself stop. "I really need it."

Jun takes another long drink. Then he sets his glass down on the table and stands. "Will you come home with me?"

Nino's been waiting ten years to say yes.

♪

Jun's studio apartment is, in a word, decadent. It's unbelievably spacious, with fine art on the walls, plush cushions on the couch, a monstrously big TV... From all the things Nino remembers about the Jun he used to know, and from the little he knows about the Jun in front of him now, this place seems perfect for him. It's everything that young, inexperienced kid wanted but was too afraid to ask or reach for, until he realized that the only way he'd ever achieve any of it was if he went out and made it happen on his own. And now, clearly, he has. But there's something strange about it as well, like it's barely lived in: the shoes are lined up a little too perfectly in the entryway, there's a vase with no flowers, and when Jun opens the fridge to pull out two bottles of water, Nino sees that there's nothing fresh inside. That seems especially strange considering how much the Jun he knew loved to cook.

Nino takes the water bottle Jun offers and opens it as he leans back against the counter. "Impressive," he says, gesturing to -- well, to everything.

Jun smiles, toothy and a little bashful. "Thanks." Fuck, Nino has missed that smile. He watches as Jun cracks his own bottle open and takes a drink, looking for the life of him like a supermodel straight out of a magazine centerfold. In the bright light of the apartment, Nino can really _see_ him for the first time tonight, and the view is staggering. His Jun had fluffy hair and hilariously thick eyebrows and a mouth that was just a little too big, too quick to twist up in a scowl. This Jun is sleek and trim from head to toe.

Nino distracts himself by taking a drink and glancing around at the rest of the apartment. "Is this all from DJing?"

"Some of it," Jun says. "That's mostly for fun. Most of this is from my _actual_ job, which is producing music."

"Anyone I know?"

Nino looks back to Jun, who's smiling as if at a private joke. "Possibly."

"Oh, come on. Spill it."

"I don't like to brag --"

"What a crock of shit! You're gonna hurt yourself trying to keep it in, J, come on. Name one person. Just one."

It's just teasing, just slipping back into their old roles. Nino doesn't mean anything by it, nor is he expecting much to come of it, which is why he's so shocked when Jun finally gives in and says, "Chinen Yuri."

Nino's jaw falls right open before he catches himself and snaps it shut. "Wow," he says, still a bit stunned. "That's pretty huge. You're not messing with me, right?"

Jun laughs. "Look it up if you don't believe me."

"I definitely will!" Nino almost reaches for his phone right then and there, but thinks better of it and lets his arms drop down to his sides. It's starting to sink in how massively successful his Jun has become since leaving him behind. "I'm really proud of you," he says.

He means it sincerely, and Jun looks like he takes it to heart. He glances down at his water bottle, where he's absentmindedly picking at the label. "Thank you." His cheeks are flushed just barely enough for Nino to notice.

The sudden silence is a little awkward, but Nino can deal with that. Nino has proven that he can deal with so, so much.

"Jun," he says, voice near a whisper. "Why did you ask me over tonight?"

Jun's fingers go still around the bottle, but he doesn't look up as he stutters out, "I..." He licks his lips, and takes a breath, and tries again. "I've really missed you."

Nino crosses the space between them, but once he's there, it's Jun who leans in for the kill.

The kiss is open-mouthed and direct right from the start, as if they're picking up a conversation that was paused when Jun left. Jun's lush mouth, his tongue -- it feels like coming home after an exhausting day, like all the things Nino didn't even realize he'd been missing for ten whole years. He grabs blindly for the water bottle in Jun's hands and throws it to the side along with his own, and when Jun laughs into the kiss, Nino just pulls him in closer. He gets his hands in Jun's hair, dying to know what it feels like, and shivers when Jun starts touching his waist and hiking up his shirt, gripping the fabric like he's resisting the urge to tear it off.

Nino manages to pull back far enough to speak. "Take me to bed. I bet you've been waiting to show that off too."

Jun laughs and kisses Nino again, quick, before tugging him in the direction of the bed.

They don't kiss and stumble along, don't leave a trail of clothes. They've waited this long and they can wait just a bit longer. Jun turns off the bright overhead but switches on the bedside lamp, then excuses himself to the bathroom. Nino undresses and hops onto the bed. It's fully made and, unsurprisingly, king-sized; the sheets are clean and cool to the touch, and they smell odd -- clean but not fresh, as if the bed was made days or weeks ago and hasn't been slept in since then. Nino squirms around to loosen them up so it doesn't feel quite so weird.

When Jun comes back, he's newly shirtless and carrying two condoms and a bottle of lube. "Had to find my emergency stash," he explains, and then he stops and stares as if only just now realizing that Nino is naked and sprawled across his bed. Nino has no problem staring back -- Jun has definitely filled out; those shoulders are _godlike_ \-- until Jun seems to catch himself and clears his throat.

"Kazu," he says, and the serious tone of his voice has Nino sitting up to listen. "I know this is a crappy time to bring this up, I should have said something earlier, but I need you to know before we go any further that I'm seeing someone else." Nino bolts upright, ready to leave _now_ , but Jun holds both hands up and hastily adds, "We're open, this isn't -- this isn't cheating, I swear. We both mess around with other people all the time and we're fine with it. That's just how we are. I'm not telling you for our sake; I'm telling you for your sake, so you can decide if that's something you're comfortable with."

Nino exhales, feeling his heart start to come down from its nervous thumping. "So I'm not wrecking any homes if we keep going?"

"No," Jun says, rigid and dead serious. "I wouldn't put you in that situation. I promise."

Nino can be selfish, but more than that right now, he's needy. He doesn't mind sharing if he's not stepping on anyone's toes, especially if it means he still gets what he wants. "Then I'm fine."

There's relief visible in the way Jun deflates, like all his anxiety comes rushing out when he exhales. He tosses the condoms and lube onto the bed and finishes undressing, then climbs onto the bed beside Nino.

Nino picks up the condom and twirls it in his fingers. "Should we janken for it like old times?"

"Janken can wait," Jun answers, nearly shoving Nino's legs apart so he can fit himself between them. He nods pointedly at Nino's dick, already standing at attention, and asks, "Do I have to worry about anything?"

"I'm clean, Casanova. You're the one messing around all the time, apparently."

Jun grins, suddenly looking a great deal more predatory than Nino remembers, and says, "I have really missed your dick. I hope you know you ruined me in the best way possible for a lot of years."

All Nino can manage is a strangled attempt at sarcasm -- "I feel very loved, thank you" -- before he gives up any attempt at words, because suddenly Jun's mouth is on his cock and there's nothing he can possibly do but lean back and watch. He shifts his weight onto one elbow so he can get his other hand in Jun's hair, still fascinated by how sleek it is. Jun sucks him off until they're both ready for more, and then, after a round of janken that seems simultaneously out of place and like there's nothing else they could have done, Jun fucks him.

The last time they did this, they knew it was the end. Jun had already told Nino he was leaving, and so they tried to go slow, tried to savor it, tried to memorize every last detail. That must have worked, because now, as Jun pushes inside, as Nino pulls him down by his hair for a kiss, it all feels so familiar. They're older now, more experienced and more graceful, but still _them_ , and it makes the whole thing seem strange and dreamlike -- an echo of a memory that isn't quite right but is somehow perfect in its imperfections.

**like the expression of daybreak**

When Nino wakes up, sunlight is just beginning to filter in through the curtains. He's startled by the realization that there's an arm around his waist and a naked, hairy leg thrown over his own, and then soothed by the realization that it's Jun, still a secret cuddler after all these years. It's been a while since Nino spent the night on something so marshmallowy soft, not to mention with another body wrapped around him, so his sleep wasn't that great. But when Jun starts to wake up, nuzzling Nino's hair and making sleepy noises in his ear, Nino can't really bring himself to mind.

Then Jun's phone buzzes on the nightstand, and he jerks upright, jostling Nino about and cursing loudly. Nino disentangles himself from the sheets to turn around and watch Jun scroll through his phone, squinting at it without his glasses or contacts. "Ugh, dammit," he's muttering. "I missed a million messages last night."

"From your other guy?"

It's an educated guess -- he's pretty sure it must be a man, but for all he knows Jun might have gone and turned bisexual while he was globetrotting -- but Jun just nods. "Some of them."

Nino gets up and moves closer, going slow, giving Jun a chance to put his phone away or hide what he's doing. Jun doesn't do any of those things, though, just lets Nino lean against him and watch as he types out a message. _Sorry. Met with an old friend last night. I think you'd like him._ It's addressed to someone named "Leader ♥".

Nino doesn't know how to feel about any of this, particularly the fact that Jun clearly wanted him to see it, so he gathers up his courage and barrels through it all. "Leader -- is that like 'sir,' is he your leather daddy or something --"

"Oh my god, shut up." Jun twists around so he can whack Nino over the head. "That's just what we call him."

"Who's we?"

"The people we work with."

"So he's someone from work -- another producer? Is this a sordid office romance?"

Jun levels him with a glare, not quite as effective as it could be if his eyes weren't all puffy and his hair askew from sleep. "Kazu. I have to go to work."

Nino puts on his best affronted face. "Fine, fine, dodge the question --"

Jun smacks him again, then laughs and gets out of bed, moving towards the closet. "I don't have time to give you a ride, but I'll give you some cab fare, okay? And find your phone, I'll give you my number."

He has to crawl out of bed so he can find his pants -- flung halfway across the room with his phone thankfully intact in the back pocket -- and enters in the number as Jun dictates it. He saves the new contact, then immediately sends a message with a thumbs-up emoji; a beat passes, and then Jun's phone vibrates on the nightstand where he left it. Nino is honestly a little relieved. He'd like to think Jun wouldn't dupe him like that, but he's been given fake numbers before.

He grabs the phone and saves himself as "Kazu~", then calls a cab while Jun fishes a few bills out of his wallet. Jun walks him to the door and sends him off with a handful of cash, a steamy kiss, and a promise that they'll hang out again soon. Nino is much more of a cynic now than when he and Jun used to date, but he still can't help but believe that Jun is telling the truth.

In the cab, he finally checks his own messages and finds a whole bunch from Aiba that consist mostly of exclamation points. The last one reads, _YOUR EITHER DEAD OR HAVING SEX??? EITHER WAY CALL ME!!!!!!_. Nino laughs as he swipes in a reply: _aibachan~ not dead. on my way home. make some ramen for me pls?_

His phone's nearly drained, but there's enough left for a quick Internet search. Jun was telling the truth: he really is a producer for Chinen Yuri. Nino loads up a list of other people Jun has worked with, but he stops after only a few names, too surprised still to process much of the information. It's difficult to believe that Jun has been right there under his nose for years without him ever knowing, but then again, why _would_ he know? It's not as if he can name or picture a single other music producer. Jun could have worked with every idol under the sun and Nino would never have found out if it weren't for that chance meeting.

It's all too overwhelming to think about, so he decides not to, opting instead to play some mindless game until his battery dies.

♪

When he gets home, Aiba has indeed made some ramen for them both, and even threw in an egg and some green onions, the way he knows Nino likes it. They sit and talk as they eat and as each of the girls wanders in, all except for Ai-chan who's still off with her boy toy from last night. Karina makes coffee, Shihori fries up some eggs, Gakky produces a secret stash of melon bread from what seems like thin air, and by the time Nino is done telling Aiba about last night, everyone in the room knows all about Nino and Jun's long and tragic history, right up to their serendipitous reunion.

"I'm really happy it worked out," Aiba says, and the girls all chime in with their agreement.

From where she's leaning against the counter, Shihori asks, "So he's in an open relationship?"

Gakky says nothing but pulls out her phone and starts typing madly, while Karina taps a finger against her chin thoughtfully and says, "You should definitely be careful."

"Hey," Aiba says, "I think open relationships can work!"

"Of course _you_ would think that."

Gakky's phone buzzes in her hand, and her eyes scan the screen before she announces, "Ai-chan says they can be very fulfilling!"

Shihori steps away from the counter so that she can pat Nino's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "As long as you're happy," she says.

At this point, Nino is more overwhelmed than anything. "I... think I am?"

"That's great!" Aiba says, throwing his arms up. Then he brings them down to poke Nino's shoulder hard enough to jostle him. "Next time just remember to let me know what's going on before you run off, you thoughtless oaf!"

♪

After that, Nino returns to his job hunt with a slightly but noticeably renewed vigor. It helps that even though he and Jun haven't had a full conversation since that morning, they do exchange messages every now and then. Jun sends Nino a picture of a life-sized Mario at some event he's attending; Nino replies, _u did always love mascots._ Nino sends a picture of a jewelry store display, a gaudy skull-shaped ring with red gems for eyes, and the caption _i bet u have 3 of these_ ; Jun replies, _Excuse you. Mine are purple._ It's easy to fall back into this friendly ritual of teasing and sniping, and it feels a lot like being goofy, happy teenagers again.

That weekend, Jun messages him early in the afternoon. _Busy tonight? Having dinner with Leader and he'd love to meet you._

Nino is unsure. He definitely wants to see Jun again, but he's both intrigued and apprehensive about this Leader character.

He stares at the message for a solid minute before Jun sends, _I'll pay._ Even after all these years, Jun still knows the key to Nino's heart.

♪

The restaurant Jun gives him the name of is one Nino's never been to. Hell, he hasn't even been in this district. He was definitely expecting it to be ritzy, imagining crystal goblets and flowing ballgowns as he rode the train there, but he was _not_ expecting to arrive and find a line halfway to the corner of the block.

He hovers near the end of the line, never having been to such a fancy place in his entire life and uncertain of what the protocol is. That's where he starts to pick up murmurs of excitement, things like _Someone super famous!_ and _I wonder if I can get his autograph_.

He pulls out his phone and texts Jun, _this line for u??_

Half a minute later, Jun responds. _Just go to the front. Tomoya-kun has your name._

Sure enough, the giant at the door checks his name off a list and lets him in while the people stuck in line behind him glare daggers. He's handed off to a maitre d' who leads him to a table close to the bar. It's not quite as extravagant as what he was imagining, but it's definitely much nicer than any place he's been to before; everyone is dressed like they're there for a business meeting, and in his khakis and plaid -- the nicest thing he owns -- he feels criminally underdressed. It doesn't help when he gets to their table and spots Jun, looking like an ad for an upscale department store in his pristine white dress shirt and a black vest that probably cost more than Nino's rent used to.

"I feel like a caveman," Nino grumbles as the maitre d' pulls his chair out for him.

Jun is laughing, a particular laugh that Nino recognizes to mean Jun is not laughing with him but at him. It seems uncharacteristically cruel and makes Nino feel even more uncomfortable, so he looks for something to distract himself from the way he can feel his cheeks growing hot. Their table is relatively small, perfectly square with just enough room on each side to fit one person; Nino is on Jun's right, and the chair on his left is vacant, but there's a menu and a half-empty glass of water.

Nino sips at his own water and nods at the empty seat. "Leader?"

"He's in the bathroom," Jun explains. He's not looking at Nino, trying to flag down a waiter.

"Sexy~"

"Be nice, Kazu."

The waiter arrives, and Jun orders a drink for Nino, something Nino's never even heard of but Jun insists he'll love it. In Leader's absence they make small talk, which Nino carefully navigates away from his current state of joblessness, already feeling self-conscious. Jun's going on about some DJ event he's been invited to and isn't sure about attending when Nino starts to hear murmurs of excitement, starting at the back of the restaurant and moving closer to them. He looks around to see everyone's heads turned in the same direction, and can't fight the urge to try and figure out what they're all looking at.

That's when he sees an absolute megastar strolling through the restaurant.

"Holy shit," he mutters, cutting Jun off without meaning to. "I guess all those people outside aren't here for you after all."

Jun doesn't even turn around. He's got that same infuriating smile on his face as he did in the kitchen that night, like he's in on a joke no one bothered to share with Nino.

Nino figures it out pretty quickly -- as in five seconds later, when Ohno fucking Satoshi is sitting down across the table from him and smiling sleepily at Jun.

"No way," Nino splutters. He looks back and forth between the two, at Ohno's guileless expression and Jun's stupid, smug face. "Are you shitting me? _This_ is Leader."

Ohno lifts a hand in greeting. "Yo."

Nino picks up his napkin only to throw it back down onto the table as if in surrender. "Well bravo on keeping that one under wraps, J. I am truly impressed."

Jun is absolutely beaming, totally shameless. That's right around the time the shock wears off and Nino can actually start to process the details of what's happening, for instance the clothes Ohno is wearing: jeans with holes in the knees and a threadbare T-shirt underneath a flannel button-up. _Now_ he understands why Jun was laughing, not with derision but with genuine amusement, and he doesn't feel quite so uncomfortable anymore. If Ohno Satoshi can waltz in here dressed like a lazy teenager, Nino must be doing okay. At least his pants don't have any holes in obvious places.

A waiter stops by to bring them their drinks, and Jun orders a round of appetizers. Afterwards he leans back in his chair, arm extended to touch Ohno's hand. "Leader, did I tell you how Kazu and I met?"

Ohno, already engulfed in the menu, looks up through owlishly blinking eyes. "Hm?"

And so Jun tells the story of how they met, how their older sisters liked the same idols and became friends, how they helped each other babysit, and how even after they stopped hanging out together, Jun and Nino never stopped wanting to see each other. It's a boring story, but Jun tells it like it's his favorite memory, and Nino helps by chiming in to add useless but amusing anecdotes about how gangly and goofy Jun used to be. "He was the most awkward kid you could imagine," Nino says, and Ohno laughs and laughs.

That story leads to others, about their childhoods, Nino's outrageous roommates, Jun's adventures abroad, and Ohno's nigh unbelievable stories about being an idol. Eventually they make it through the appetizers and order food, then more drinks, then dessert and yet more drinks, laughing for what seems like the entire time. It's surprisingly easy for Nino to be nice like Jun asked, because something about Ohno makes him feel comfortable and happy somewhere deep inside. He's quiet and hilarious and so easy to get adorably riled up, and when Nino catches Jun looking at Ohno like there's love pouring out of him, he can't even be jealous. He gets it. He gets it completely, and when they've been sitting there for close to three hours and Jun suggests they head to Ohno's place, Nino doesn't even think of declining.

As soon as the three of them get up from their chairs, a man at the bar stands as well, lays a few bills down, and joins them on their way out the front door. "This is Sho-chan," Ohno explains.

The man looks a little too cute to be imposing, but his suit -- nice but generic, easy to blend in -- does fit pretty snugly around his biceps. "Suave bodyguard type?" Nino guesses.

"Among other things," Sho says, smiling like he could be an idol himself. Nino doesn't question it, but he can guess.

Sho leads them to a sleek, dark blue sedan in the parking lot and opens the back door so they can slide in. Nino goes first and is a little surprised, not unpleasantly so, when Ohno climbs in after him and Jun takes the front.

"To your place, Satoshi-kun?" Sho asks once he's in the driver's seat.

"Mm."

They take off, making their way through parts of Tokyo that Nino's never even visited for how expensive they are, like he'd have to pay a toll just to walk down the street. It's a quiet, scenic drive; Jun fiddles with the radio before settling on some electronica station, turned down to a moderate volume, and taps his fingers against the center console as he gazes out the side window. Nino looks around the car, at Jun's tapping fingers, at Sho's hands in perfect nine-and-three position on the steering wheel -- down at Ohno's hand on the empty seat between them, close enough to touch. _When did that happen?_ Nino looks at it and feels himself flush for some reason he can't identify.

Maybe it's the alcohol, maybe it's how ridiculous this entire situation is, but he finds himself inching his own hand toward Ohno's. He breathes in, and out, and overlaps his pinky with Ohno's just to see what Ohno will do, and his heart starts drumming up a wild beat when Ohno joins their hands completely, unhesitatingly, sliding his on top of Nino's and lacing their fingers together.

Nino doesn't let go until the car is parked.

♪

Sho walks them up to the door and then leaves them for the night, reminding Ohno that he'll be around to pick him up in the morning. During the elevator ride up, Ohno insinuates himself between Jun and Nino and takes Nino's hand again, wordless the entire time. Jun notices, even makes a show of glancing down so they _know_ he notices. Nino worries for half a second, but then Jun is smiling, leaning back against the elevator wall with a familiar and missed _I told you so_ smirk.

Nino was so distracted on the way up that he paid no attention to the building, but once they're inside Ohno's apartment, he realizes that it's actually pretty normal. It's roomy but not extravagantly so, with decorations and personal touches that are endearingly weird. Nino particularly likes the walls covered in colorful oil paintings that don't look like anything Nino's ever seen in a museum. It's like Jun's place in that it fits its inhabitant so perfectly, yet it's different in that it seems so thoroughly lived in; Nino spies dirty dishes on the kitchen counter, worn-in cushions all askew around the low table in the living room, a pile of presumably dirty clothes lying in the hallway...

"Ugh, Satoshi --"

Jun scrambles to pick up the clothes and toss them into some other room. Ohno just laughs and leads Nino to those worn-in cushions.

Jun winds around to the kitchen and returns to them with three water bottles in hand. "No beer?" Ohno asks, pouting, but Jun says, "You have a photo shoot in the morning, old man. We can't have you hungover." He hands the bottles out and takes a seat across from them, backed by a moderately sized TV and a messy video game collection.

"Is that... a fishing game?"

Ohno is perhaps a bit too excited to show Nino his collection, mostly filled with simulator games and the occasional gem, all of them multiplayer. They rope Jun into getting up and finding the long-lost third Wiimote so that he can play with them, and even though he complains loudly, the whole thing culminates in a brutal Mario Kart match between him and Nino. It starts as a one-off and quickly stretches out to a best-out-of-three tournament, then five, then seven, with Ohno hanging off of Nino like a clingy pet and whispering encouragement the entire time.

It's approaching midnight when Nino feels his phone buzz in his pocket. Jun's griping about being ready to give up anyway, so Nino hands the controller off to Ohno and checks his phone. As he suspected, it's a message from Aiba: _WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT NOT TEXTING!!!!_.

Nino wants to reply with something solid, but right now he doesn't know where this night is going. When he looks up, Jun and Ohno have turned the game off and are laughing to each other about something, both of them looking happily, utterly in love.

Jun notices him watching them and asks, "Is everything okay?". Ohno looks up too, his sleepy eyes focusing on Nino.

"Hm? Oh -- yeah." Nino forces himself to look away from Ohno and back down at his phone. "I was just thinking, it's getting kind of late, and I should probably head out if I'm gonna catch the last train..."

Jun scoffs loudly. "Is this one of your pranks? You know I'll pay for your cab fare."

"Or," Ohno says, "you could spend the night here."

Nino's heart warms a bit, and then a bit more when Jun smiles like that was his plan all along. "Okay," he says, and types in a message to Aiba: _sry. everythings great. dont wait up~~_

After he puts his phone away, they sit around chatting for a few more minutes until Jun finishes off his water bottle and stretches, long and exaggerated. "It _is_ getting pretty late," he says. "Leader, why don't you show Nino where the shower is?"

Jun doesn't look tired at all, and Ohno doesn't seem any sleepier than he has the rest of the night. Nino plays along, though, lets Ohno tug him onto his feet and down the hall. When they reach the bathroom, Ohno opens the door and nudges Nino inside, slipping in with him. There are no towels in here, Nino thinks, and suddenly Ohno is stepping closer, like his hand inching toward him on the way here. He's close enough that Nino can see the dark flecks in his eyes, the graceful curve of his eyelashes, and then he stops and asks, "Can I?"

Nino says nothing and closes the gap between their mouths.

They kiss slowly, and rather than feeling shy, it's as if they've known each other forever and are simply getting reacquainted. Nino lets himself be backed up against the wall, lets Ohno touch him wherever he pleases, all along his collarbones and down his arms, to his thin wrists where his hands have settled on Ohno's hips. Ohno doesn't move him, doesn't hold on to him, just _feels_.

Nino stays as still as he can, not wanting Ohno to stop. He finally forces himself to pull back, just barely far enough to ask, "What about J?"

Ohno gives a thoughtful hum, brushing the tip of his nose against's Nino's. It's sickeningly sweet and yet it sends a shiver all the way down to Nino's toes. "Jun-kun moves too fast," Ohno says, the words barely more than a mumble, a blur.

" _This_ isn't too fast?"

"I decide fast," Ohno says -- bold, completely unashamed -- and leans in until his lips are brushing Nino's again, until his eyelashes whisper across Nino's cheek when he closes his eyes. "But after that I like to take my time."

Nino's knees go weak at the thought of Ohno taking his time with him. He kisses Ohno again, gets his hands in Ohno's hair and then down over his sharp shoulder blades and firm back, then up under his shirt. Nino thinks that kissing Jun was like retracing old memories, familiar and new at the same time, but kissing Ohno is different -- like a word on the tip of his tongue, something he could drive himself crazy chasing after only to find when he's caught up to it that he's known it all along.

"You two are taking _forever_."

They break apart to find Jun leaning rakishly in the doorway, his vest discarded and shirt already half-unbuttoned.

"We didn't want to get started without you," Ohno says, so different from what he said earlier. His hands are still on Nino, burning like hot coals.

Jun gestures at them and puts on his best magnanimous tone. "By all means, continue." Nino wants to crack some kind of joke but then Ohno is kissing him again, and although making fun of Jun is high on Nino's list of priorities, this is far more important.

With whatever brainpower he can muster that isn't focused solely on Ohno, he's aware of Jun leaving the room, coming back with towels that he sets on the counter, standing by the door as he finishes unbuttoning his shirt. He undresses completely and leaves everything in a neat pile by the door, and then he's joining them, lining his body up with Ohno's and pressing his hips against Ohno's ass, kissing the back of Ohno's neck. His hand sneaks between Ohno's and Nino's bodies, but somehow he doesn't touch Nino at all, just pulls Ohno closer to him at the same time that he yanks the collar of Ohno's shirt to the side so he can scrape his teeth down the curve of Ohno's neck.

Ohno breaks the kiss with a startled noise, leaning forward instead to lay distracted kisses along Nino's jaw. Ohno's hands are still on his wrists, clutching desperately as if to keep himself anchored; Nino can feel, from the little movements of Ohno's body, that Jun is rutting against him. Jun's hand on Ohno's hip keeps him pinned close, and the sounds Ohno is making spark something inside of Nino -- not jealousy but hunger, ravenous and all-consuming, almost painful in its intensity.

He pulls one of his hands from Ohno's grip and reaches down between their bodies, first to touch himself because he needs something, anything, and then to inch hesitantly forward, holding his breath for the few centimeters it takes to cross the space between them. He brushes his fingertips over the tent in Ohno's jeans, just to see if he can make himself do it, if they'll _let_ him, and the shiver it draws from Ohno emboldens him to go further, to wrap his hand around Ohno through the layers of cloth and denim and _squeeze_. Ohno moans outright, clutching so hard at his wrist and bicep that he can feel Ohno's fingernails.

That's when Jun stops. He pulls them apart, ignoring the way they both whine and reach for each other, and says, "We're in here to shower, remember?". His voice is even, composed, but he looks heavy-lidded and flushed and like showering is the absolute last thing he wants to do. Still, Ohno obeys when Jun tells him to undress, and Jun turns the shower on, adjusts the temperature, and gathers up Ohno's clothes and folds them neatly to join the pile by the door. He directs Ohno into the shower, then guides Nino back to the opposite wall.

Nino doesn't notice Jun's reaching hands, too busy watching Ohno soap up, until Jun already has his khakis unzipped and pushed halfway down his thighs. He doesn't protest, but it does bring his attention back to Jun, who's looking at Nino's mouth like he has grandiose plans for it.

"Is this what you were expecting when you came out here tonight?" Jun asks him, looking away only so he can finish pushing Nino's khakis down his legs.

Nino steps out of them and counters, "Is this what _you_ were expecting?"

Jun smiles as he folds the pants, then comes back to unbutton Nino's shirt. "I had a hunch."

"You know, I always hated that smug grin of yours."

"You know..." Jun pulls the unbuttoned shirt down to Nino's elbows, trapping his arms against his sides, and leans in. "You never were as good a liar as you thought."

Jun kisses Nino like he wants to devour him, like even that might not be enough. They fight to get the rest of Nino's clothes off, and Jun doesn't bother folding them this time, too busy touching Nino all over and whispering against his skin, "Kazu, what do you want, tell me what you want," but with Jun's mouth and hands on him, Nino can barely think. All he can do is hold on to Jun and kiss him and hope it conveys the feelings he can't put into words: _I don't know. Everything. You._

When Ohno steps out of the shower, reaching for a towel, Jun tears himself away from Nino so that he can edge him towards the shower with an encouraging slap on the ass. "You have time to think about it."

The water is perfectly warm when he steps under it, the spray not too hard or too soft against his skin. Even as eager as he is to get back out there, he can't help but marvel at how _nice_ this shower is, how silky the soap feels in his hands, how heavenly everything smells.

Then he hears a moan, muffled through the sounds of the water hitting the tiles. He turns to see Ohno, on his knees, still without a towel. His hands are on Jun's hips, and Jun's hands are in his hair, and Jun's eyes are heavy-lidded and clear and trained perfectly on Nino.

Nino showers more quickly than he ever has in his life.

♪

Ohno's bed isn't quite as massive as Jun's, but there's plenty of room for what they have planned. Jun practically shoves them onto the mattress and they land facing each other, already kissing again before Jun can even make it onto the bed himself. He slides in behind Nino, running his hands down Nino's arms and sides and then lower. They don't janken this time, but he kisses underneath Nino's ear and whispers, "Is this okay?", and all Nino can say is yes, yes, yes, until he doesn't know what he's asking for anymore -- he wants everything -- he wants _them_.

He doesn't remember Jun getting the lube, but his fingers are slick and warm as he works them inside Nino one by one. They stay like that, Nino on his side, one leg hitched up over Ohno's hips, touching and kissing Ohno until he hears the crinkle of a condom wrapper, and then Jun is pushing into him and the only thing he can do is breathe in and out against Ohno's skin. Ohno kisses his mouth, his face, his shoulders, he wriggles down the bed to bite at Nino's collarbones, strokes Nino's dick to make him moan, and then he comes back up and sighs against Nino's mouth, his voice quiet and small: "Kazu."

Those two whispered syllables send a shudder all the way down Nino's body. No one else has ever called him that -- he's always been Kazunari at home, Ninomiya at school, Nino everywhere else. Kazu is Jun's, only Jun's, and to hear it come from someone else, to hear it come from _Ohno_ , whom Nino has known for barely a night but feels like he could spend forever with... It's strange and exhilerating and almost more than he can bear.

Sensing that he's close, Jun slows down until he's barely even moving. "Feeling left out, Leader?" he asks, breathless and still somehow managing to sound cool and composed. Ohno doesn't say no, so Jun pulls out entirely, reaching somewhere behind him for another condom which he slips into Nino's hands along with the lube.

Nino pulls himself together enough to arrange Ohno on his back and settle between his legs, and he slicks up his fingers while Jun lays kisses all across his neck, his shoulders, his back. He gets one finger inside Ohno with Jun touching him this way, but just before he's about to work up to two, Jun leaves him and makes his way to the other side of the bed, near Ohno, the condom he was wearing now discarded somewhere on the floor.

He's so _different_ with Ohno than what Nino's used to. With Nino he's always asking, _is this okay, is this what you want,_ but with Ohno he just takes and directs like he already knows exactly what Ohno is thinking. Apparently he does, because when he leans over the headboard and guides his cock into Ohno's mouth, Ohno accepts it happily, moaning around it and reaching down to touch himself. Jun only lets him have two or three strokes before he snatches Ohno's wrists, pinning both against the pillows. Ohno whines and clenches around Nino's fingers as his cock leaks precome, and that hunger is back, driving Nino to work faster, to push deeper, to seek out Ohno's prostate and make him _scream_ around Jun.

When Ohno is ready, Jun pulls away to grab a fresh condom and let Ohno rearrange himself, his knees drawn up around Nino's waist. Nino fucks into him, and once they've found their rhythm, Jun is working his way back inside Nino, and suddenly the three of them are moving together, awkward at first and then perfectly in sync. It's difficult to tell after that who does what, but that seems insignificant compared to the need to just keep going. Nino feels lost in it, the sensations melding together, seamless and limitless: he is bookended by them, he begins and ends with them, and he can't imagine ever wanting to leave.

Maybe he won't have to.

 

**your gentle love**

Nino awakens to the smell of food and the pleasant realization that he spent most of the night curled around Ohno. He stays where he is, admiring the smell of Ohno's soft hair as sunlight just barely begins to lighten the room around them, until Ohno's alarm clock goes off with a horrendous beeping. Ohno jerks awake in Nino's arms, makes some grouchy attempts at words and turns it off with a smack, then comes back to turn around and curl up against Nino's chest.

"Comfy," he mumbles, already halfway back to sleep.

Nino is in danger of falling asleep again himself when he's pulled back into wakefulness by a quiet knock on the door. It's Jun, radiant as ever despite how early it is. He rouses Ohno with gentle words and, when that doesn't work, increasingly sharp pokes to the side. In the kitchen, the table is already set with three drinking glasses, three coffee cups, three sets of cutlery, three plates, and when Nino and Ohno take their seats, Jun loads their plates with eggs and toast and fills their cups with coffee. They eat mostly in silence, trading the occasional sleepy-eyed smile or full-mouthed comment about how delicious the food is. Right around the time Ohno is finishing his second helping of eggs, Jun's phone starts beeping; he fishes it out of his pocket and turns it off, then herds Ohno into the shower, leaving Nino to sip his coffee alone.

Jun comes back before long and starts cleaning up, humming quietly as he goes. Nino sits back and watches him, finishes his coffee, pours himself half a glass of orange juice. Jun has just started washing the dishes when Nino finally says, "You two seem pretty serious."

Jun doesn't turn around, just keeps washing. "Mm."

Nino continues, "You make him breakfast... He lets you stay over when he's not here... He jumps right into bed with your old sex partners..."

There's a long moment where Jun doesn't speak, doesn't even move. Then he shuts the water off and turns around to face Nino. "Are you okay with this?" He doesn't sound accusatory. If anything, he looks concerned.

Nino sets down his juice and says, "Why didn't you just tell me from the beginning that you're _in love_ with this guy?"

Before Jun can find the words to respond, Ohno comes ambling in, half-dressed and hair dripping. "Is there any more toast?"

For a few seconds, Jun looks completely lost. Then he kicks into gear, snatching a piece of toast from the plate he set on the counter. "It's cold already, Leader, do you want me to warm it up?"

"No time, Sho-chan's already here --"

Ohno takes the toast from Jun with his teeth as he's pulling his arms through his shirt, and then all three of them are rushing out towards the front door, Jun helping Ohno balance as he steps into his shoes and then leaning into the entryway to kiss him goodbye and lock the door behind him. When it's silent again, Jun stands there in the hallway with his back to Nino for a good long while before finally turning around. He looks half a second away from stumbling through a confession straight out of a drama, so Nino stops him before he can even get started.

"For the record, I'm not upset, not even a little. Last night was amazing -- _you two_ are amazing. I just..."

Jun moves closer. He doesn't say anything, just listens.

"I just need to know what's going on," Nino says. "You two have something really special and I don't want to come between --"

This time, Jun holds up a hand to silence him. "Stop right there. Last night, did it seem like you were coming between us -- _ha, ha,_ you know what I mean. Last night, did it seem like you were barging into something uninvited? Causing any rifts? Doing anything that wasn't completely, one hundred percent enjoyable for all three of us?"

Nino looks away, down at his feet, at his twiddling thumbs, before making his way back up at Jun. "No."

"Exactly." Jun takes a deep, shaky breath, and Nino senses that drama confession coming on. "For so many years," he says, "I missed you every single day. And then I met Satoshi. And I didn't stop missing you, I didn't stop loving you, it's just that I started loving him also. I _love_ him, Kazu. I don't know what I'd do without him. But I love you too, just as much as I always have, and then I saw you that night and I couldn't..." The words catch in his throat, and he mouths wordlessly before finally managing to force them out: "I don't know what I'd do without you anymore either. So that's what's going on. I love you, and I love him, and if I can have you both... that's what I want."

If this were a drama, certainly Nino would have a snappy comeback ready by now. Hell, if this were anyone else in Nino's actual life, he would have a comeback -- that or he would be turning and running in the opposite direction. But this is _Jun_ , the person Nino has been in love with since before he was old enough to even understand what love was, and now it's all he can do not to collapse right there, half from exhaustion and half from overwhelming gratitude.

Jun must mistake his silence for apprehension, because he starts babbling, eyes flitting around the room to focus on anything but Nino. "I mean, I realize that must be a lot to hear -- I didn't mean to imply that there's any sort of pressure on you to stick around -- of course you can leave if you want --"

At that, Nino actually laughs, stopping Jun mid-sentence. "Leave?" he repeats. "Where would I even _go_? This is literally the best thing I have going on in my life right now. I have no job, nowhere to live --"

Jun's eyes look like they're going to bug out of his head when he shouts, " _What,_ " but Nino keeps talking over him.

"The last relationship I had was with my boss at a manga cafe -- he cheated on me with one of the customers and then _fired me_. Before you, the last guy I slept with I'm pretty sure thought I was a prostitute --"

Now Jun truly looks horrified. "Why would he even think that --"

"I don't know, Jun! I don't know a lot of things! I don't know how I got in this fucked up situation, but here I am." He slumps back against the wall, and then he notices the stricken look on Jun's face. "I don't mean _this_ situation," he amends, gesturing between himself and Jun. "I mean... my whole life."

In a quiet, hesitant voice, Jun asks, "You really don't have anywhere to live?"

Nino shrugs, looking away. "I've been staying with my buddy and his roommates. There's like five of them altogether. I practically sleep in his closet."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Nino scoffs, unable to hold back an eyeroll. "You're rich, you have this megastar boyfriend -- I'm pretty sure your bathroom alone is a little bigger than my entire apartment was, and now I don't even have that anymore. It's embarrassing."

For a long time, Jun doesn't say anything. The silence stretches on long enough that Nino starts to feel paranoid, thinking that maybe Jun is going to say something weird or judgemental about his situation. But instead Jun steps closer and asks, "Can I help you find a job?"

Nino glares at him, skeptical about where this is going. "Like what?"

"Do you still like filming things?"

"I had to sell my camera for rent -- Jun, what are you plotting?"

"Hear me out," Jun says, touching Nino's shoulder as if that might ease his suspicion, which it _doesn't_. "Let me buy you a camera -- shut up, don't argue. You can pay me back later if you really want to, but we both know that once the shock wears off you'll just come up with some excuse to never pay me back, just like everything else --"

"You said that chocolate bar was a _gift_."

"-- and together we'll use that camera and your skills to help you find a job. You said so yourself, I'm rich and have a megastar boyfriend. I don't know if you've noticed, but I have connections."

Nino wrinkles his nose in distaste. "I don't want someone to hire me just because they owe you a favor."

Jun waves that off. "Then work for Leader. He's clearly super fond of you, and everyone around him thinks he's some sort of zen genius. If he says he wants you to direct his next video or follow him around and film some behind-the-scenes stuff for the next DVD, they'll at least listen to what you have to say."

It takes a moment of genuine deliberation as Nino thinks about the last time he dated the person responsible for his paycheck. But that relationship had problems from the start, and Ohno doesn't seem like the kind of guy to hold a grudge like that. "Fine," he says. "I'll give it a shot."

Jun flashes that dazzling supermodel grin Nino doesn't think he'll ever get used to. "Excellent!" His smile shrinks by a fraction, like he's suddenly gone shy. "And... I know this is a lot already, so I'm not asking you to move in with me or anything, but if you do ever need a quiet place to stay or an actual bed to sleep in, you're more than welcome to stay with either of us."

If Nino was floored before, now he's absolutely speechless. But he tries. "Jun... Thank you. I mean, really -- thank you."

Jun reaches out to hold Nino's hand, still smiling. "You're welcome, Kazu. You deserve it."

♪

In the cab on the way home, Nino sends a message to Aiba that he'll be home soon and to get ready for a story, and Aiba sends back a few emoji and roughly a dozen exclamation points. For once, it matches the way Nino feels.

The last year has not been kind to Ninomiya Kazunari. But the last week has been pretty spectacular.


End file.
